Topic: Mohamed Salah - Best in the World *

[Caston]

Form has fell off a cliff.

[Phineus]

Based on timing of this post and that game this is probably a bit reactionary, but you do wonder what that injury took from him and if it might speed up his post-peak drop to come (time, age etc).

[TheShanklyGates]

Afcon, again. Tale as old as time.

[child-in-time]

He does not have elite pace any more. If he stays next season, put him up top.

I was shocked how easily on one occasion Lerma caught with him and then brushed him aside in the second half. His pace has really gone.

[MJD-L4]

If the Salah we've been seeing since the Afcon is here to stay, then it's time to cash in.

[MonsLibpool]

He's been in poor form since since he came back from his injury. Most of our big players that were out injured are rusty.

[jepovic]

Ageing sucks.

[KirkVanHouten]

Afcon, again. Tale as old as time.

Yeah, this is honestly one of the most tedious things. They play it so frequently and the timing is terrible. He and Mane going to AFCON has fucked up our season more than once. I just hope whoever we replace him with when the time comes doesn't have to go to AFCON.

[God's Left Peg]

Looked a shadow of his former self today.

[Ste08]

We saw this before after AFCON. He’s a slow burner. I wouldn’t be giving up on him. Salah is proven class.

[Draex]

Worst I’ve seen him play, passing to him was giving the ball back to Palace.

[Coolie High]

He should be considering retiring from Egypt, otherwise..

[Haggis36]

Don't care what the underlying numbers say - he's nowhere near the player he was 2-3 years ago. I know there's a tacit acceptance that he's not as quick as he once was, but 'd go a step further and say he's actually pretty slow now - I can't remember seeing him beat a man for pace in about 18 months, he just cannot create the same separation from defenders as he used to and it massively impacts his effectiveness. Doesn't help that he can find himself in these 2 months spells where his first touch absolutely disappears.

He's still a great finisher (normally) and he's adjusted his game well to become more of a playmaker, but he's not really excelling as a winger/wide-forward in the way we're trying to use him anymore but it feels like we're just burying our heads in the sand and pretending it's not happening.

[Gili Gulu]

Think a fair part of it was us moving the ball so slowly he never received the ball in space.

However he could have helped us out far more by drawing fouls by getting in front of the defender,
but he kept getting beaten to balls all the time. We needed far more fight from him.

[Knight]

Don't care what the underlying numbers say - he's nowhere near the player he was 2-3 years ago. I know there's a tacit acceptance that he's not as quick as he once was, but 'd go a step further and say he's actually pretty slow now - I can't remember seeing him beat a man for pace in about 18 months, he just cannot create the same separation from defenders as he used to and it massively impacts his effectiveness. Doesn't help that he can find himself in these 2 months spells where his first touch absolutely disappears.

He's still a great finisher (normally) and he's adjusted his game well to become more of a playmaker, but he's not really excelling as a winger/wide-forward in the way we're trying to use him anymore but it feels like we're just burying our heads in the sand and pretending it's not happening.

He's had a couple of goals this season running beyond the defence so I'm not sure this is entirely fair. Today though he was absolutely bulled physically and his technique (always  bit hit or miss) let him down badly. There was a shout in the Gapko thread (who had a brilliant cameo) that our attack in the 2024 has been better without him and I think that's definitely true. I'd be tempted to play the Jota, Nunez, Gapko/Diaz front 3 a little bit.

[DiggerJohn]

One of the poorest displays by Mo I have ever seen. Couldn't even control the ball or pass it to a team to run on too.

[Schmidt]

It feels like the right side of the pitch is at its most functional when we have a right footed player making overlapping runs, but no fucker ever wants to do it. Dom did it once today and got into a good position but it came to nothing, and then that was it, back to clogging the middle of the pitch.

[clinical]

Not the same since AFCON injury. I think Edwards/Hughes could choose to sell. What a shame. Club legend. 

[Mister Flip Flop]

Yeah, this is honestly one of the most tedious things. They play it so frequently and the timing is terrible. He and Mane going to AFCON has fucked up our season more than once. I just hope whoever we replace him with when the time comes doesn't have to go to AFCON.

Has to be a priority consideration for the new manager coming in with regards signings. You just can't have your best players heading off in the middle of a title tilt every other year. It's insane.

[dirkster]

He's still an elite finisher. That part of the game will not desert him. How about trying him through the middle rather than out wide?

[slotmachine]

He is just evolving into late career Ronaldo. He is still willing to work for the team unlike Ronaldo but the body cant do it. The graph nonces will go on about data and output they will still be there but you are playing with 10 men without the ball. Modern football you cant have passengers without the ball. The margins are too tight at the highest level.

I think Mo might come to the realisation that its time to move to Saudi and to bow out at the same time as Klopp. The fee will be a lot lower than last summer but I still think he will go for around 50-60m which is good money and 20m saved in wages from the last year of his contract.

[Mister Flip Flop]

We saw this before after AFCON. He’s a slow burner. I wouldn’t be giving up on him. Salah is proven class.

Cashing in on a player who's past his absolute prime isn't giving in it's thinking of the future. We've a serious rebuild ahead of us i'd argue we need 2 new strikers next season and if a decent offer comes in for him it would be amiss of the club not to consider it.

[Darren G]

Don't care what the underlying numbers say - he's nowhere near the player he was 2-3 years ago. I know there's a tacit acceptance that he's not as quick as he once was, but 'd go a step further and say he's actually pretty slow now - I can't remember seeing him beat a man for pace in about 18 months, he just cannot create the same separation from defenders as he used to and it massively impacts his effectiveness. Doesn't help that he can find himself in these 2 months spells where his first touch absolutely disappears.

He's still a great finisher (normally) and he's adjusted his game well to become more of a playmaker, but he's not really excelling as a winger/wide-forward in the way we're trying to use him anymore but it feels like we're just burying our heads in the sand and pretending it's not happening.

Yeah, I agree to an extent and feel that the decline began far before AFCON, which a lot of folk seem to be attributing his current form to.  He's simply not the threat that he once was. Anybody watch this and tell me he's still close to the same level this season, either before or after AFCON:


<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/hPUwNpHhqpc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/hPUwNpHhqpc</a>

[newterp]

I would be really really worried about extending him - it's not like he'd want LESS money.

He's appears to be falling of that proverbial cliff.

[Draex]

I would be really really worried about extending him - it's not like he'd want LESS money.

He's appears to be falling of that proverbial cliff.

He’s defo not worth £450k a week, no chance. He was, now he’s just a top striker, when he used to be one of the best players in the world.

[Felch Aid]

Am I the only thinking he holds most of the cards here?

He will want another go in the Champions League and has only 1 year left on his contract when he go free. Just don't think he has any desire to go in the pub league in Saudi.

Any extension won't be as lucrative and where will he play under the new manager.

[SerbianScouser]

He's appears to be falling of that proverbial cliff.

Really?

He's on pace to get his standard 20 league goals, it'd be suicidal to let him go at this point in time without the proper replacement bedded in first.

[OOS]

Really?

He's on pace to get his standard 20 league goals, it'd be suicidal to let him go at this point in time without the proper replacement bedded in first.

Hes getting old, but talent is still talent. He will have to adapt how he plays, and under a new manager next season, we are changing anyway. Not writing him off yet.

[Working Class Hen-Pecked Hero]

I think he's always been so robotic that even when he's injured he's just back to full speed no dramas. This hamstring injury seems to have left its mark

[Red-Soldier]

Afcon, again. Tale as old as time.

Yep.  Absolutely fucked him, this season.  He was great, before then.

[mickeydocs]

He's been in poor form since since he came back from his injury. Most of our big players that were out injured are rusty.

Thankfully Edwards will look at the data over a much longer period of time before deciding what to do with one of our greatest ever players.

[Mister Flip Flop]

We all love Mo and what he's done for the club but right now he shouldn't be in the team on merit alone. Problem is neither should Nunez. I wonder if Jurgen would be brave enough to bench them both and give a Jota/Cody/Danns frontline a run out to freshen it up for the Fulham game leaving Mo and Darwin off the bench if needed.

[sminp]

Should’ve been subbed instead of Nunez today. Baffling how he gets a free pass with the state of his form right now.

[HeartAndSoul]

Should’ve been subbed instead of Nunez today. Baffling how he gets a free pass with the state of his form right now.

Yep at least Nunez can stretch defenders with his pace. He literally doesn’t contribute in any way nowadays.

[SerbianScouser]

Yep at least Nunez can stretch defenders with his pace. He literally doesn’t contribute in any way nowadays.

Yeah, 17 league goals - that's literally nothing. We can find that anywhere.

[Dree]

He’s come back into a different team.

First half the season, Trent’s inverted, Dom is pulling out wide right and Salah is creating or getting goals coming diagonally starting 30 yards out up the touch line.

It’s a different dynamic with Bradley and Mac Allister on the right, and with Salah’s age he needs more accommodation. Bradley and Salah start in the same place (and every now and then Nunez will turn up for lols).

[Ste08]

Cashing in on a player who's past his absolute prime isn't giving in it's thinking of the future. We've a serious rebuild ahead of us i'd argue we need 2 new strikers next season and if a decent offer comes in for him it would be amiss of the club not to consider it.

He was flying before AFCON. If he is here next season he will score another 20 goals. In this day and age that is hard to find.

[Knight]

Yep.  Absolutely fucked him, this season.  He was great, before then.

It also screwed him in 2022. He was the best player in the world autumn 2021, that is no exaggeration he was on another planet. But he came back from afcon a shadow of that player.

[Draex]

He was flying before AFCON. If he is here next season he will score another 20 goals. In this day and age that is hard to find.

Depends on his injury, he looks so slow these days, he's getting bullied by bang average defenders.

[Fruity]

Just not really involved enough today. Don't know how many touches he had compared to others but all our best attacks seemed to be coming from the left first half.

Nowhere near the player he was but at his peak he was one of the best in the world. Not saying he is shite now but we rarely see the salah of old.